Smoked Duck Gorditas with Fresh Mango Salsa
Smoked duck breast is shredded and slowly simmered in stock with crushed chipotle en adobo, toasted coriander and Mexican oregano, then tucked inside flaky homemade gorditas (thick corn tortillas) and dressed with fresh mango salsa and crispy fried duck skin..
Smoked Duck Gorditas with Fresh Mango Salsa
For the Salsa
1 fresh mango, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 ripe tomato, cored and diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 green jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon sparkling water
1 teaspoon piloncillo or palm sugar
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and refrigerate 1 hour.
For the Duck
1 large smoked duck breast
1 1/2 cups rich chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons crushed chipotle en adobo
1 tablespoon raw cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon toasted coriander, ground
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Remove the skin and fat and reserve. Working parallel to the grain, tear the duck into thin strips, then place into a heavy pot. Cover with stock and bring to a slow simmer. Add chipotle, vinegar, oregano and coriander and slowly simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1/2 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.
For the Crispy Duck Skin and Rendered Fat
Pull the skin and fat from a duck breast and lay it flat on the comal over medium heat, weighing it flat with a bacon press or another smaller skillet. Cook until all the fat has rendered and the skin is crispy on both sides. Transfer to skin to a cutting board and chop into something resembling crumbled bacon, reserving the fat for frying the gorditas.
For the Gorditas
3/4 cup organic masa harina (fine corn flour)
2 tablespoons organic, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup warm, filtered water
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
3 tablespoons rendered duck fat
Heat a comal or iron skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the masa and water into a soft dough. Knead in the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper, adding a few drops of water if needed to maintain consistency. Divide dough into 4 balls and cover with a damp kitchen towel.
Use a tortilla press or rolling pin to shape dough into 4-inch rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Slide a thin-bladed spatula under each gordita, carefully flipping one-at-a-time onto your open palm before laying onto the hot comal. Cook for a minute or so on each side (they will be slightly crisp but underdone), then transfer to a plate.
To prepare
Just before service, melt the duck fat in the comal, then fry each gordita until golden brown and puffy (ideally, the gorditas will be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside). Transfer gorditas to a cutting board, then use a thin knife to cut a sideways slit about 1/2 way across.
Fill each gordita with shredded duck, dress with salsa and crumbled duck skin and serve hot.
This post is part of The Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!
This post is part of The Healthy Home Economist’s Monday Mania!
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foodies at home said,
July 31, 2010 at 12:52 am
Ohhhhhh….drool….yuuummmmm! Excellent work!
Ren said,
July 31, 2010 at 11:26 am
Thank you!!
ella said,
July 31, 2010 at 8:44 pm
that looks divine, daddy-o!
Ren said,
August 1, 2010 at 12:13 am
Thank you, darlin’!
rebecca said,
August 1, 2010 at 4:01 pm
I find all your recipes truly inspiring. Thank you so much for writing this blog :).
Ren said,
August 1, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Thank you so much for taking the time to write- it really means a lot!
Sustainable Eats said,
August 1, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Ren I can’t wait to try this with peaches soon! We’ve been eating more duck this year, I found a local farmer!
Ren said,
August 1, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Yea! Maybe you can get duck eggs too? My grandkids gobble those like there’s no tomorrow
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist said,
August 2, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Oh my goodness! This looks so fabulous. Mangos are in season right now and so this is the perfect time of year to make this. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe at Monday Mania!
Ren said,
August 3, 2010 at 7:55 am
My pleasure, Sarah, thanks for having me!